Kingdom Hearts:  Cross
by Daniel Cross
Summary: We know the story of the trio of friends from Destiny Island, but what if there had been one other boy?  A boy with a fate just as important as the others...  OC Centric with cameos by various other characters.  Rated T for mild language and violence.
1. Chapter 1:  Setup at Sunset

Prewrite: This is my first fic, and an ambitious one at that. My goal here is to cover the entire Kingdom Hearts story. Well, not the ENTIRE story. I haven't played Birth by Sleep yet. Or Coded. ANYWAYS. I'll be (hopefully) covering Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts 2. God, I'm screwed. There's a good chance I'm going to f*ck up and/or not finish it. Oh, well. Gimme some credit for trying.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all associated characters are owned by Square Enix and the Disney Corporation.

* * *

Chapter 1: Setup at Sunset

It was sunset on the Destiny Islands. The three friends were sitting on the paupu tree, their usual spot, on the smaller island off the mainland. "Tomorrow, we set sail." said Riku. Sora nodded, then asked, "Is he gonna be coming with us? The four of us promised we'd go together."

Kairi speaks up quickly. "Of course. He's our friend, right?" "Yeah, but he hasn't been around lately…think he chickened out?" asked Sora. "Nah, I heard he's been sick," replied Riku, "but you both know that won't stop him. He's got a harder head than Sora." Riku and Kairi laugh, Sora joining in after giving Riku a brief annoyed look.

After their laugh, they agreed it was time to go home. Kairi had the last words before they parted.

"So…we'll just have to trust Daniel"

* * *

"Atchoo!" Daniel scratched his nose, yawning. "Stupid cold…stupid raft…stupid, stupid, stupid!" He threw a pillow across the room like a child throwing a tantrum. Calling him angry would be an understatement. He helped build the raft for the first few days, then came down with a cold, forcing his three best friends to finish it.

Or, so Tidus had told him.

No one else had come to visit him the entire time he'd been sick. This was the main cause of his anger. He took a deep breath, then looked out the window next to his bed. A moment later, his view was obstructed by a head of brown hair. With a yelp of surprise, he jumped back as Sora poked his head through the window with a goofy grin on his face.

"Sora!" Daniel exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" "Checking on you, dummy." replied the brown-haired teen. "Haven't seen you in a few days." "Oh," said Daniel simply, "well, uh…thanks."

"No problem." Sora said cheerily. "So, are you gonna be there tomorrow?" Daniel grins and nods. "You know it. I wouldn't miss getting out of this dull place, no matter how sick I am. I should be better by tomorrow anyways."

Sora nods and says, "Great to hear. I gotta get going, but I'll see you tomorrow." He disappeared from view just as quickly as he had appeared. Daniel smiled to himself and laid down, closing his eyes and drifting to sleep, dreaming of the next day's excitement. Little did he know that he wouldn't be seeing the sunrise on his home island for a long time.

* * *

Postwrite: Whew! That took a lot longer than I thought it would. And it was harder too. The hardest part was the first sentence. I thought that part would be easy! Oh, well. I would much appreciate feedback. Do I suck? Am I the next great American novelist? Let me know, and don't hold back!


	2. Chapter 2:  Night of Destiny

Prewrite: I seem to be going for a rapid series of short chapters rather than longer chapters updated once a week or somesuch. Ah, well. I write as it comes to me. As of this writing, I have no feedback on the first chapter. I wasn't expecting a flood of comments or anything for one chapter anyways. So, let's get this started.

Disclaimer: All characters in this story besides those obviously created by me are owned by either Square Enix or the Disney Corporation.

* * *

Chapter 2: Night of Destiny

Daniel laid awake in his bed late that night. His anticipation of the next day's departure kept him from sleep.

Suddenly, there was a sound of thunder.

He sat up quickly and gazed out the window, seeing that a bad storm was starting. "In this weather…" he muttered to himself, "…damn, the raft isn't gonna last long."

Forgetting all about his cold, he got out of bed and got dressed. A loose green t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black boots. Oh, and his lucky necklace, a silver chain with a red diamond-shaped ruby that nearly matched his hair color.

He hurried out of the house without waking his parents, then headed for the dock. A familiar pumpkin-pants-wearing boy was there already.

"Sora!" Daniel called out. The other boy looked up. "Daniel? What're you doing here?" he questioned. Daniel replied while untying his boat. "Checking on the raft. Isn't that why you're here?" Sora nodded, untying his own boat.

They shoved off at the same time, heading for the smaller island off the mainland. When they reached the dock, there were two other boats there. "Riku's boat…and Kairi's." remarked Sora. "You go look for them," said Daniel, "I'll check on the raft." Sora nodded, and they headed in different directions.

* * *

Daniel stared at the wreckage of the raft. The storm had torn it up in seconds. "No…" he whispered to himself in disbelief. Suddenly, there was a black mass in front of him. A black mass with glowing yellow eyes.

Daniel jumped back with a cry of surprise as the creature swiped at him with a set of black claws. "What the…what the hell are you?" The creature gave no response and attacked again. Daniel dove to the side and grabbed a stick that used to be part of the raft. He swung at the creature, but the stick passed right through.

"What?" Taking advantage of his surprise, the creature attacked yet again, this time scoring a hit. Daniel cried out in pain, there now being a row of scratches where the creature had hit him. Deciding to abandon the fight, he ran.

He only made it a few feet before more appeared before him. Daniel felt himself go cold with fear. He hadn't stood a chance against one, how could he fight a horde of them? He ran past them, narrowly dodging more claw swipes.

He got back to the dock and found that, to his continued horror, the boats were destroyed.

Before he could do anything else, the ground started shaking. Pieces of the island started coming up and rising into the air. He gazed up—and felt his whole body freeze. There was a giant black and purple orb in the air, sucking in the pieces of the island.

On one of the larger pieces, there was a huge black creature, and a tiny figure fighting it—and winning! He couldn't see who it was, but Daniel cheered him on anyways, getting the feeling that he might actually survive the night.

The feeling didn't last long.

He felt himself floating away from the piece of the island he was standing on, floating towards the dark orb. He tried in vain to get back to the ground, but was soon sucked up into it. His vision went dark.

* * *

Postwrite: I think that was longer than chapter 1. I'll have to check later. Anyways, less dialogue, more action. Rate and review, if you don't mind. I'm hoping for positive feedback, but negative is accepted too. I know I'm not perfect. Next chapter we get to stuff you haven't already seen.


	3. Chapter 3: Of Surprises and Satyrs

Prewrite: Aaaand here we are again. I just finished watching family guy, and I'm about to watch Witchblade. Who knows what effects this will have on the writing process! …I'm guessing none, but who knows? In case I haven't made it obvious, I'm making this story up as I go. NOT the best way to write a story. I mean, it works for me, but maybe not for everyone. Seeing as I've covered all of Destiny Island, this is the chapter where the entirely new stuff starts. Let's get this started…

Disclaimer: I. Own. NOTHING. Except this story and Daniel. They're all mine. The rest belongs to Square Enix and the Disney Corporation.

* * *

Chapter 3: Of Surprises and Satyrs

He couldn't see anything at first. All he heard were voices. The first voice was kind, yet powerful. "Is he gonna be ok, Phil?" If he had to describe it, he would have said it was the voice of a hero. Just hearing it made him feel a bit better.

The next voice had the opposite effect.

"He'll be fine, Herc. No wounds on the outside, and he ain't coughin' up blood or nothin'." He groaned in pain as the grating voice entered his ears.

Not so heroic.

"I think he's coming around. Quick get him some water!" Footsteps were heard moving away quickly. Then, Daniel opened his eyes.

The face above him was handsome and—yet again—heroic. He blinked a few times, then tried to sit up. As it turned out, this was a bad idea. He let out another pained groan and laid back down.

He heard footsteps returning as the man helped him up. A cup with a straw was held near his mouth. He drank from it, the water making his dry throat feel better. He then tried to speak. "Where…am I…?" His voice was weak, and didn't sound like his own. He tried again. "Who are you…?" A bit stronger, and at least it sounded like him. Much better.

"My name is Hercules. This is Phil." He looked around. "Down here, kid." He looked down. If he wasn't feeling so weak, he would have screamed. There was what appeared to be a creature that was half man, half goat. As it was, he let out a pained gasp. "What…what are you…?"

"What, ain't you ever seen a satyr before?" The creature's voice was giving Daniel a horrible headache. "No…no I haven't…" he replied weakly. "Oh. Well, whatever. Hey, Herc, I got work to do. Lemme know when this kid's more than a paperweight." With that, he left. _Thank god…_ thought Daniel.

Getting slowly to his feet, he was surprised to find he could stand on his own. "What's your name?" asked Hercules. Daniel gazed up at him, noticing for the first time how large the man was. "My name's Daniel. So, um…Hercules, right? Where am I?" Hercules replied, a bit of pride in his voice. "This is the fighting coliseum on Mount Olympus, where the strongest warriors in the world gather." Daniel just gave him a blank stare.

"Mount…Olympus? I've never heard of that mountain." Hercules stared at him open mouthed, then says in an amazed voice. "You haven't? But how? The gods live here, everyone knows that!" Daniel gave him another blank stare. "Gods…?"

Hercules gave him another amazed stare. His mouth opens and closes as he tries to form words, before he finally asks, "Do…do you have amnesia or something?" Daniel closes his eyes and thinks, then shakes his head. "No…I remember my whole life up until…"

Reality hit him like a brick to the head.

"Last night!" he cried out. He began babbling every question that came to his mind. "What happened to my friends, my home? What were those creatures? How did I get here? WHERE AM I?" He continued until he ran out of breath. He stood there panting while Hercules stood gazing at him worriedly. "Tell me everything." he said.

Daniel told him all of it.

"That's…quite a story." said Hercules when Daniel finished. "If what you're saying is true…it sounds like you're from another world!" "Y-yeah…" Daniel was still shaken. "Well, I don't know how to get you back to your world," said Hercules, "but you can stay here as long as you want. I'm sure Phil would be glad to have a new trainee."

"Trainee?" Daniel asked. "Well…if you're going to stay, you're going to need to do something. Phil doesn't like freeloaders." Hercules said. "Ok…so what would he be training me for?" "Fighting, of course. I said this was a coliseum, remember?" Daniel gulped. He was NOT getting a good feeling about this.

* * *

One week later…

Daniel swung his blade with force at the barrel in front of him, sending it flying into another group of barrels. All the barrels broke into pieces, scattering on the sandy ground. With that, all of them were destroyed.

He panted heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead. "Ok, kid, great job! Almost set a new record!" Daniel turned to see the pudgy satyr approaching him. He suppressed a cry of shock, still not being used to his appearance.

"Thanks, coach." Daniel replied with a nod, wiping his brow. Phil nodded in return and said, "I just got three words of advice for ya." _Here it comes…_ thought Daniel, rolling his eyes as he prepared to mentally count the words. "Swing higher." _…and, there it goes._ He nodded with a sigh, not bothering to point it out again.

"Other than that, you ain't half bad. I might even let you in the prelims." Coming from Phil, this was high praise. Daniel grinned, resting the point of his sword on the ground. "You think so? I mean, I've only been here a week." Phil nodded again. "I think you got what it takes kid. Best student I ever had." Daniel felt a surge of pride. "Really?" "Well, except for Herc."

His heart sank a bit, but he still felt good. He hadn't really expected to be better than Herc anyways. He also didn't expect Phil's next words. "Get ready kid. The prelims start in three hours." He started to walk off. Daniel stared, stunned for a moment. "But…how am I supposed to get ready for a real fight in three hours?" Phil called back without turning, "You'll find a way."

* * *

Postwrite: It really is a whole new world. Writing from scratch, that is. As compared to Destiny Island, where everyone had a general idea of what was going to happen. ANYWAYS. I'm tired and hungry. Time for some Lucky Charms. God I love Lucky Charms. As always, rate and review please. As a side note, this is definitely the longest chapter so far. I apologize for it being so dialogue heavy. Unless you like that sort of thing. In that case, I meant to do it. At least I got a little action in, if only barrel bashing. That reminds me of Donkey Kong. I haven't played that in a while. I'ma go do that.


	4. Chapter 4: First Victory

Prewrite: I thought I'd try something different for this chapter. This time, I'm not starting it at dark o' clock in the morning. Instead, I'm starting it now that I've woken up and gotten dressed for the day. I'm hoping to continue the trend of each chapter being longer than the last until I have a decent length chapter. Also, listening to Disturbed. This is gonna be an action heavy chapter. Or, so I have planned somewhat.

Disclaimer: Daniel and his story? All mine. The rest? Square Enix and the Disney Corporation.

* * *

Chapter 4: First Victory

Daniel rushed back to the place he had been staying for the past week. It was just a small guest house near the coliseum, still far enough though that the trip there and back took up most of his time. There had been no guests all week, so he had it all to himself. He washed himself, changed clothes quickly, then rushed back to the coliseum.

On his way through the gates, he passed a man he hadn't seen before. His hair was blond and spiky in a fashion that reminded him of Sora. But that was the only resemblance. While Sora had always had a friendly air about him, this man seemed rather cold. Daniel didn't take the time to notice anymore than that though, as he was pressed for time. He hurried into the coliseum and met Phil.

"Ready." he said confidently. Phil nodded without looking up from his clipboard. "Careful, kid. Everyone who signed up this year was a weirdo, 'cept for one group of 'em." said Phil. "Three of 'em on a team, with one on his own." "I think I can take 'em." replied Daniel. "Just be careful. From the looks of those two, they're from another world like you."

Daniel's heart started to race. If they were from another world, they would have a way off of this one! He might be able to go home! _That is…if there's still a home to go to…_ he thought. The images of his home crumbling to pieces and floating away into the sky played in his mind.

"Good luck, kid." Daniel was jerked from his thoughts by the present. _Well…anyways, right now, I've got to focus on this._ "Thanks, coach." He went into the waiting room.

It was a small area with a few lockers. He went to his and retrieved the sword that Hercules had loaned him. It was a bit short for his taste, and had no guard, just like the sword Herc himself used. It worked though, so he couldn't really complain.

A few minutes later, his name was called. It was time to fight. He took a deep breath, then walked into the arena.

* * *

Stepping out into the center, he looked around at the crowd. Nothing unusual, just a bunch of people who loved to watch fights. He flipped the sword around into a reverse grip and held it behind him. This was his fighting style.

Sora and Riku had always ridiculed him for using such a strange style. When he was little, he used it because he thought it looked cool. Now, it was the only style he knew. Holding his weapon in a reverse grip came with both advantages and disadvantages, but that could be said of any style.

He waited for his opponents to appear. Suddenly, dark creatures spawned in the middle of the arena. They weren't the shadows that he had faced before, but their black faces and yellow eyes showed that they were the same kind of beings. Daniel felt fear grip him, the same fear he had felt that night on the island. _But this time…I'm not helpless!_ He heard the bell that signaled the start of the match. It was then that he realized that these were his opponents.

Giving a battle cry, he charged forward and attacked. He swung his sword at the one dressed like a soldier. Direct hit! The creature disappeared, and Daniel thought he saw a heart floating from where it stood.

He didn't have long to think about his first kill as there were still others, coming at him from all sides. He took out another soldier, then slashed at a monkey-like creature. Unlike the soldiers, the monkey didn't die immediately. It staggered back, then jumped at him, claws swinging through the air. Daniel dove and rolled to the side, taking out another soldier in that direction with a quick swing as he came out of the roll.

He turned back to the monkey and barely managed to block an incoming claw with his sword. He kicked the creature in the gut, knocking it to the ground, then jumped onto it and stabbed down at it, destroying it at last.

He glanced around the arena and saw no more creatures. The crowd roared in applause. He stabbed his sword into the air in victory, and the crowd went crazy. He felt the warmth of pride as he claimed his first coliseum victory. The warmth turned into another feeling, a feeling of increasing strength. This feeling was brief, and soon turned back into pride soon after.

* * *

Back in the waiting room, he glanced out the small window at the arena. The blonde man was in a match with more of the black creatures. He was fighting different ones than Daniel had. There were a few floating red ones that threw fireballs, and a fat one. Daniel took notice of both the creatures and the man, studying their strategies and looking for weaknesses.

The man's technique looked flawless from here. However, all his attacks bounced off of the fat creature. The blonde man jumped over it and attacked it from behind, his attacks doing serious damage from there. _So those things are vulnerable from the back, and invincible from the front._ Daniel made a mental note of that. Other than that, the match went smoothly.

The next match was between the other offworld competitors and more of the creatures. Daniel looked out the window to watch, then fell to the floor crying in pain. He felt like his shoulder was on fire. After the pain subsided, he sat up and carefully removed his shirt. There were three parallel scars on his left shoulder, where the shadow had scratched him that night.

He tenderly touched them, giving another cry of pain. He'd have to be careful with the shoulder in the future. He put his shirt back on, then gazed out the window. The match was over by that point. He sighed. _Oh, well…I fight them after the next match anyways._ He prepared, knowing he was next. He headed out as they called his name.

* * *

He had a slight advantage. This being their first time, they were in an alternate waiting room, with no window. They couldn't watch him to study his strategies like he could with them. He readied his sword as two of the fat creatures appeared in front of him. He grinned, confident of a victory.

Ding!

He charged forward and ran around behind one of them. He swung hard, then again and again. "Die, damnit!" The creature turned around and hit him hard, knocking him waaay back. He laid there for a moment, catching his breath, then got up. He was lucky those things were slow. He coughed painfully, then focused on the one he had hit before.

_I need to be more careful…they may be easy to hit, but they've got a lot in them._ He ran around behind it and started hitting it again. This time when it turned around, it was mad. It started glowing purple and jumping around. Daniel backed away quickly, but the creature ran after him trying to ram him with its belly.

He raised his sword to guard against the attack—and was surprised to see the creature bounce backwards. He dashed around it, attacking a few more times to finish it off. _So, they go berserk when they're about to bite it. Good to know. _He made a mental note of that fact, then glanced over at the other one. It was walking around lazily with no real purpose. This was probably a good thing. Fighting two at once would have been tough.

He carefully approached the remaining creature, employing the same strategy. He was especially careful after it went into its berserk stage, but managed to come out on top. He raised his blade into the air proudly, getting a huge reaction from the crowd.

He got another strange feeling, this one of growing endurance. He felt like he could stand up to anything thrown at him now. He smiled, then headed back into the waiting room.

He took a brief shower, then got ready for the semifinals. He would be fighting three enemies, and none of them were those creatures from before. They would be people this time. _Hopefully, it won't be easy. That'd be no fun._ He braced himself, then waited for his name to be called.

* * *

Postwrite: Whew. I meant for this chapter to be much longer, but I decided this could be a good stopping point. I'm sure you all know who the trio is. Next chapter is that fight through attack of the giant doggie. The main thing I'm glad about is how action heavy this chapter is compared to the others. It's a nice change of pace. Very little dialogue at all. Oh, the reason I decided to shorten the number of fights in the tournament is—let's get real here—who would be able to handle 10 fights in a row? Especially Sora and Daniel with how weak they are at this point in the story. And to be honest, I couldn't write 10 separate fight scenes in the coliseum. It'd get boring for you AND for me. So, four rounds it is. As always, please rate and review. You people are why I do this!


	5. Chapter 5:  Reunion and Revelation

Prewrite: Let's get this started. This is supposed to be another action heavy chapter, with a good amount of dialogue at one point. Let's go!

Disclaimer: All your Kingdom Hearts are belong to Square Enix and the Disney Corporation. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 5: Reunion and Revelation

Daniel stepped out into the arena, then gazed at the door, waiting for his opponents. First came out an anthropomorphic duck, dressed in blue and carrying a staff. Daniel barely reacted. After the events of the day, nothing could phase him. Next came an anthro dog, in green and holding a shield. _What's next, a rabbit?_ he thought.

No rabbits today

Out came a familiar head of brown hair, carrying a giant key.

"Sora?" Daniel cried, a look of pure surprise on his face. The look was mirrored on the other boy's face. "Daniel? Daniel, is that you?" Daniel nodded, rushing towards Sora. "You're my opponent?" asked Daniel. "Um, yeah, I guess…" Sora gave a slow nod. "Who are they?" was Daniel's next question. He gestured to the animals at either side of Sora. "This is Donald…" Sora pointed to the duck, "…and Goofy." he pointed to the dog. Daniel nodded to them.

Daniel nodded, then heard the crowd roar in impatience. Next was Phil's voice in his head. _Rule number 76: Keep the crowd happy._"Listen Sora, we'll talk more after the match. For now, get ready to be rocked!" Daniel and Sora both grinned. Back home, as opposed to Sora and Riku's back and forth winning streak, Sora and Daniel had always dueled to a draw. That wouldn't be happening today. Daniel settled into his stance, watching Sora and his partners do the same.

Ding!

Daniel went for Goofy first, sending a hard kick at the tall dog's shield. He was rattled for a moment, and Daniel took advantage of it with a second kick, this one at Goofy's knee. He toppled to the floor. Daniel ducked just in time for Sora's strange weapon to come whizzing past where his torso had been.

He rolled backwards, dodging a bolt of lightning. Scrambling to his feet, he raised his sword just in time to block a swing from Sora. The sound of metal against metal filled the arena, and the crowd cheered them on.

By this time, Goofy was back to his feet. He and Donald tried to attack while his sword was locked with Sora's, but he jumped backwards just in time to dodge.

This was where he made the fatal mistake.

He tripped.

He fell flat on his back.

Before he could get back up, Sora's weapon was pointed down at him.

He had lost.

* * *

"…so it turned out that monkey word just meant 'heart?'" asked Daniel. Sora nodded, finishing the story. "Yeah. After that, we headed here. And you've been here the whole time?" Daniel nodded. "Phil's been training me."

There was an hour for rest before the finals, and the two boys were taking full advantage of it. "Sounds like tough work." said Goofy. Daniel shrugged. "Kind of. I mean, our fight was a lot tougher. Sorry about your knee, by the way." "No problem. Donald here fixed it up easy." Daniel nodded, then turned to Donald. "So, you're a magician?"

Before Donald answered, Sora's name was called. "Oh, well. Just tell me later. And good luck out there!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy all headed for the arena.

* * *

Daniel looked out the window. The blonde man and Sora's group faced off, and he could feel the tension in the air. His shoulder also ached a bit, but he ignored that.

Ding!

Sora and his group charged towards the man without any hesitation. He used the flat side of his large sword to block most of the hits. Daniel once again noticed Sora's strange weapon. _A…keyblade, he called it? _The man made a wide swing that hit all three of them. Donald was out, and Goofy and Sora were on their last legs. _From just one swing? That's amazing…_ Daniel thought.

Sora and Goofy kept their distance now. Sora shot a burst of ice from the end of his weapon _Magic? No wonder he beat me…he's gotten so much stronger…_ thought Daniel. He felt disappointed that he had never really stood a chance in this tournament. The man dodged the ice blast, then pointed his weapon in front of him and dashed forwards with inhuman speed.

Sora managed to get out of the way, but Goofy got knocked to the ground, leaving Sora and the man one-on-one. Sora used a fire spell, which the man just brushed off. He jumped high into the air and came down fast, slamming his sword into the ground. While the attack itself missed Sora, the shockwave from it knocked him to the floor. Before he could get up, the man had his sword pointed down at Sora's throat.

Daniel Dashed out into the arena. The man still had his sword at Sora's throat. "Stop! The match is over, just leave him alone!" Daniel called out. The man glanced up at him. Without a word, he turned to walk away.

He didn't get far.

With a roar, a giant three-headed dog came, seemingly from nowhere, and knocked the man to the floor. He raised a paw to stomp him, but was suddenly stopped. Hercules was there, holding him up. "Daniel! Phil! Get them out of here!" Daniel and Phil ran out to help the beaten Sora, Donald, and Goofy off the field, taking them to the lobby.

* * *

They were all panting heavily. "Wait, what about Cloud?" asked Sora. "That's his name? Well, he should be fine," replied Daniel, "after all, Hercules is in there." An ominous roar came from the arena. Phil was sweating and nervous.

"We're going in there. We've gotta help him."

Daniel and Sora stared at each other for a moment, the same words having come out of both of their mouths. They grin and nod at each other. "Listen you two, be careful out there." said Phil. Daniel and Sora nod. Donald and Goofy were in no shape to fight, so the two boys went in alone.

* * *

"Hercules!" Daniel called out as he and Sora ran into the arena. Hercules had Cloud slung over his shoulder. "Go on and get him to safety. We'll handle this!" said Sora, readying the Keyblade. Daniel nodded, readying his own weapon. Hercules ran out of the arena with Cloud, and the giant dog roared.

Sora and Daniel ran around to opposite sides of the dog. The two outer heads followed them, the middle head shooting fireballs all over the arena. Sora jumped onto its back, attacking the middle head, while Daniel kept the other two heads distracted with attacks of his own. Everything was working perfectly. Of course, that didn't last long.

Daniel made another swing at the dog's right head. In mid swing, his shoulder started burning again. It felt like it was going to explode. Daniel fell down on one knee, his sword dropping to the ground. The dog slammed a paw on the ground, and the shockwave from it threw Daniel into the wall.

_Damn…is this it…?_ Sora was still attacking, but the dog's focus was now on Daniel. _No…I'm not gonna let some giant mutt end me!_ The burning in his shoulder turned into a different sensation, one that started to spread throughout his body. He got to his feet and raised his left hand, and the power that had surged throughout his body flowed into his left hand.

The hand turned black, blacker than the night. His fingers became claws. His hand was now that of one of the shadows that had attacked him on his home. With an almost inhuman roar, he charged at the dog. He slashed at it with his claw. The dog cried out in pain and slumped down to the arena floor, knocked out.

Daniel panted, suddenly feeling drained. He gazed down at his hand. _What…is happening to me…?_ He felt his shoulder burn again, then his hand turned back to normal. He clenched his fist, finding that it hurt to do so. The hand looked worn and battered. He slipped it into his pocket quickly as Sora ran up to him. "That was amazing! How'd you do that?" Daniel shrugged. "It was nothing, a lucky hit, that's all." C'mon, let's get back to the others. He quickly turned and headed back towards the lobby.

* * *

"And so, I hereby dub thee Junior Heroes…" Phil read from the piece of paper in front of him to Sora, and Daniel. Donald and Goofy looked on, Donald looking a bit jealous. "Junior Heroes? That's all?" asked Daniel. "Even with all your training, you still don't know what it takes to be a true hero." Phil replied. "Well, what does it take?" asked Sora. This time Hercules replied. "If you have to ask, you're not there yet. You'll have to find out on your own, just like I did." He flashed them that winning hero's smile of his. Sora and Daniel smiled back, nodding simultaneously.

After Hercules and Phil left, Daniel turned to Sora. "So, where are you heading to now?" Sora shrugged. "Who knows? We're just going from world to world, helping people out." Daniel started to say, "Let me come with—" but he was interrupted by Donald crying out, "No!" Daniel and Sora both turned to him and Sora asked, "What? Why not?" "We're looking for the king, and we can't get sidetracked!" They argued for a minute or so before Daniel yelled, "Enough!"

They both stopped and looked at him. "Listen, don't argue over me." he said once he had their attention. "Just go on. I'll find another way off this world." Goofy then cried out, "I've got it!" then ran out of the lobby. Everyone followed him curiously.

* * *

Goofy was outside of the coliseum's outer gate, by their ship. Daniel was surprised by its appearance. "This is your ship? It looks like a pile of bubble gum!" Sora laughed, but Donald shot him an annoyed look. Goofy came back to them, carrying a big box. "Here ya go!" He put the box down and opened it up, showing that it was full of strange multicolored blocks of different shapes and sizes.

Daniel picked one up. "What are these?" "Gummi blocks! Goofy, you're a genius!" Sora cried out. "A-hyuk." was Goofy's only reply. He gave them a grin that lived up to his name. "Gummy blocks? So it's a box of candy?" "No no, Gummi blocks. They're what our ship is made of. We have a lot of extras, so you can use them to make your own ship!" Daniel's face lit up. "Really? That's awesome! C'mon, let's get started!"

* * *

A few hours later, they had constructed a ship that was just about identical to Sora, Donald, and Goofy's. "So…I can use this to go to other worlds." Daniel said, gazing up at the ship. Sora nodded. "It was easier than building the raft, that's for sure…" Suddenly remembering something, Sora turned to Daniel. "Oh, I forgot to ask. Have you seen Riku or Kairi?" Daniel shook his head sadly. "No. I was hoping they were with you." Sora sighed. "Oh, well. I'm sure we'll find them." Daniel nodded.

Cloud came out of the arena doors just then. Sora ran over to him. Daniel couldn't hear their conversation, but he handed something to Sora. He glanced over at Daniel, then handed something else to Sora. He then turned and walked away. Sora ran back over to Daniel. "Here. He told me to give you this, and he also told me to tell you, 'Don't give into the power.'" Sora handed Daniel a small but bright gem. _What is it…?_ Daniel wondered. He shrugged, then slipped it into his pocket.

* * *

"So, it looks like it's time to split up again." Sora was preparing to get on his ship and leave. Daniel was there to see him off. "Yeah. But we'll meet again, right?" Daniel smiled and nodded again. "Definitely. Someday, we'll find our way back home. All four of us."

Daniel held out his arm towards Sora. Sora crossed his own arm with it, and they nodded, both saying, "It's a promise."

* * *

Postwrite: Oh, man. I had a LOT of trouble with the Cerberus fight. Right in the middle of typing it, I came down with a serious case of writer's block. It sucked hard. That was TWO DAYS AGO. So, I'll try and make it up to you people. Lots of action AND dialogue. I originally intended for this chapter and the previous one to be one whole chapter. I don't really know why I decided to break it into two. Oh, well. As per usual, I would appreciate feedback. Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6:  The First Goodbye

Prewrite: Let's get this going. Last bit of Olympus Coliseum (for now).

Disclaimer: Square Enix and the Disney Corporation own Kingdom Hearts. I own Daniel and his story. Nice little arrangement we have, no?

Chapter 6: The First Goodbye

Daniel took one last look around the small room he had called home since he had arrived on this world. It was strange; he had only been here for a week, but he was going to miss this place. The sheets that didn't quite fit the bed, the leaky faucet in the kitchen, the annoying noise the shower made…little things that gave the place personality, and made it feel more like a home than just a place he was staying.

He only had a few things, just enough to fill a backpack. For him, it was enough. He turned and walked through the door, not looking back. His next destination was the coliseum. He had to say goodbye to Hercules and Phil.

He entered the lobby, and saw that Phil was waiting for him. "There you are kid. Good timing. I was about to come see ya." "I guess I saved you a trip, then, coach. Where's Hercules?" Daniel looked towards the arena, hearing the sound of fighting. "He's in the middle of a match. Think you can wait a bit kid? I know Herc'd hate to miss sayin' goodbye." Daniel nodded, leaning against a wall as he waited.

While waiting, he took the time to think through his plan once more. Sora said that his navigators would greet him once he booted up the ship. _Ship and Pail, I think their names were?_ He shrugged. Sora had said that the navigators would help him out with the ship's controls and showing him where other worlds were once he got the ship off the ground. From there, he'd go around the worlds looking for Riku and Kairi, just like Sora was. _Oh, and that King that the other two were looking for._

Hercules came out of the arena just then, interrupting his thoughts. "Oh, you're here." said the hero. "Yeah. I came to say goodbye to you and Phil." Hercules nodded. "Ok. Lead the way to your ship, Daniel. We'll see you off." Daniel nodded, then headed out the door.

Daniel gazed up at his ship once more. It didn't look like much, but he knew it was his ticket out of there. He then turned to Hercules and Phil. "Thanks again you two. For taking care of me while I was here. I'm really gonna miss you two." He smiled at them, and they both smiled in return. "Don't be a stranger, Daniel." Hercules brought him something long, wrapped up in a bundle. Daniel took it, gazing at it curiously. "What's this?" "A gift," replied Hercules, "from the gods."

Daniel unwrapped it, revealing a sword. It had a longer blade than the one Hercules had loaned him, and the hilt was black with a wider guard. The handle was longer too, about a hand and a half, to where he could hold it with one or two hands, depending on the situation and his preference. He smiled up at Hercules. "Thanks a lot." Hercules nodded and smiled back. "Don't mention it." Daniel slid the sword into the sheath that had been wrapped with it, then strapped it to his belt. It was in the perfect position: easy to get to, and wouldn't bother him when walking or running.

He turned and headed up the ladder to board the ship, then turned and gave them one last wave goodbye. Phil called out one more thing. "Hey kid! I've got three words of advice for ya!" Daniel smiled, and couldn't help but mentally prepare to count the words once more. "Never back down!" Daniel was surprised for a moment as he realized that Phil had gotten the word count right for once. He laughed softly to himself, and felt tears coming to his eyes. Until now, he hadn't realized just how much he was going to miss them. He called out, "Thank you…both of you! I'll come back, and I'll show you how strong I've become!"

With one more smile and one more look at them, he climbed up into the ship and closed the door. The ship sputtered to life on its own, then flew off into the sky, the hero and his mentor watching all the way until it disappeared.

Postwrite: Not much of a chapter compared to the one before it, but I felt like this was a good stopping place. Call me whatever names you like, but I almost cried when writing that last scene where Daniel said goodbye. Is that a good sign, or a bad sign?


	7. Chapter 7:  Interspace

Prewrite: Ok, coming up next: interspace, a bit of interaction with "Ship and Pail," then on to the next world. Should be fun. Got dialogue, action, and a bit of mystery.

Disclaimer: I own Daniel, his story, and a piece of crap laptop. Square Enix and the Disney Corporation own Kingdom Hearts, as well as the souls of millions of fanboys. Mine is in there somewhere…

* * *

Chapter 7: Interspace

Daniel stared out the window of the cockpit at the starry sky, his mouth open in wonder. There was a buzzing noise from the dashboard, and a small green button lit up. He reached over and pressed it curiously. Suddenly, a big fuzzy face came up on the monitor. Make that TWO big fuzzy faces. The only differences between them that Daniel could notice was that one had a red nose while the other had a black one, and one had two teeth while the other had one.

"Um…hi. Are you the navigators Sora told me about?" "Yup. Nice to meetcha!" said the one with the black nose. This here's Chip…" then the red nosed one said, "…and I'm Dale!" "Nice to meet you two. I'm Daniel." He nodded to them. "So, you two are supposed to help me out with this ship?" "Yup," replied Dale, "we're gona help you with the controls, then send you on yer way."

The controls were fairly simple, and it only took a few moments of explaining for Daniel to get the gist of it. After flying around in circles for a bit to get the hang of it, he turned to the navigators again. "So, where should I go to?" "My recommendation is that you head for Traverse Town First. There are some people there you should talk to that might be able to give you more information." replied Chip.

Daniel nodded, searching through the computer for the destination. "There it is. Not too far from here either. Thanks you two." "You're welcome. Bye!" they both said before the screen went dark. "Ok…" he muttered to himself, "…let's get going." He ignited the engine, then took off in the direction of the world.

He looked all around. He had been told by both Sora and his navigators that there would be Heartless ships trying to impede his progress. It wasn't long before he was surrounded by lasers fired from said enemy ships, and was frantically trying to dodge them. He only took a few hits, mostly due to luck. It wasn't long before the touched down on the surface of Traverse Town.

* * *

Postwrite: Holy crap. I started this chapter on… *checks "date modified" in the folder* …7/16/2010. I just finished it today, 9/20/2010. I'm really sorry for the hiatus, and I'm hoping to get back to regular updates. On another note, thanks for all the reviews. It's really been a boost to my self-esteem. Please, feel free to inflate my ego more!


	8. Chapter 8: Traversing the Town

Prewrite: Finally, getting back into the swing of things. I doubt I'll be updating every day like I was during the summer, but I'll try for at least twice a week. As for the story itself…I've got ideas here and there for how things are going to turn out, but for the most part I'm still making it up as I go. Wish me luck!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts isn't mine. Daniel and his story are. Done, and done.

* * *

Chapter 8: Traversing the Town

Daniel carefully landed the ship in the lit up area outside the town's main gate. As he got out, he was surprised by how dark everything was. Back on the island, and even at the coliseum, things always seemed to be bright and sunny. Here, the stars were out, and the colors were more subdued.

With a shrug, he headed for the gate marked "First District." "Gee, wonder what's behind this gate…" he muttered to himself, smart-ass as always. Walking through said gate, he noticed another difference between this place and the coliseum. This place was much more populated.

It's not like it was crowded, but there were definitely more people here than there had been at the coliseum. He also saw a…he had no idea what it was, pacing back and forth. It looked like a stuffed animal, with a big pink nose and a large red ball coming out of its forehead. As Daniel passed by it, he heard it muttering, "Kupo."

He continued through the first district, looking for the accessory shop. Upon finding it, he couldn't help but facepalm. Especially since it was the building directly across from the entrance gate, with a large sign above it labeled "Accessory Shop." Putting aside his quickly sinking self-esteem, he headed inside.

He looked to the counter, seeing the blonde man behind it. He was definitely older than his father, but not old enough to be his grandfather. Shrugging a bit, he went to the counter and asked, "Are you Cid?" "Yup. That'd be me." Daniel nodded. "Sora sent me here. He said you might be some help." Cid responded with, "So, yer one of 'is little friends, eh?" Daniel nodded. "Whelp, I can't help much, but I know someone who can."

* * *

"Damn." Daniel cursed. Cid had said that Leon was in the waterway training. The problem was that the waterway was blocked off with iron bars. "How the hell did he get in there if these bars are here?" he called out in frustration. He'd been trying for five minutes to get past, first by squeezing through, then by breaking them down. He didn't want to use his sword, he might break it. With another curse, he backed away a bit to see if there was anything he'd missed. As a matter of fact, there was. A small red mark on the ground. Daniel kneeled down to get a closer look.

It looked like three hearts joined by lines, to form a circle. "What a weird mark…" he muttered. Was it the secret to opening the waterway? A button maybe? He reached down with his left hand to press it. As soon as his finger touched the mark, his shoulder started throbbing, and he gasped at the sudden pain. The mark changed, becoming a single jet-black heart. His left arm moved on its own, placing his palm on the mark. With a sudden burst of energy, the iron bars burst into pieces.

Daniel just sat there in the water, panting heavily. His entire left arm felt like it was on fire. When he gazed down at it, it looked like it had after he'd used it against Cerberus. Worn out, and red. He gazed down at the mark. It had turned back into the red mark, showing no sign that it had ever changed. Slowly getting to his feet, he headed into the waterway. It never felt very good, but so far this power had been nothing but useful.

* * *

He heard the sound of a swinging sword as he came in. There was a man wielding a large sword, swinging it over and over in the same pattern. Daniel watched for a moment, then asked, "Doesn't your arm ever get tired?" Stopping, the man turned to look at him. Instead of answering the question, he asked one of his own. "Who are you?" "Daniel. Sora said you might be of some help." The man's expression changed, from fierce to rather friendly. "So, he found one of his friends. What can I help you with?"

Daniel explained his situation. Basically, he was in the same boat as Sora. Go around and fight the heartless while looking for his friends. The main difference was that Daniel lacked a keyblade. After a moment's hesitation, he also told Leon about his shoulder, and his mysterious new power.

Leon was quiet for a moment. He said, "Let me see." and gestured towards Daniel's shoulder. Daniel nodded, pulling off his shirt. Leon inspected the scar left by the shadow. Leon was silent for another moment, before saying, "You have no idea how lucky you are." "Huh?" was Daniel's only response. Leon explained.

"I've heard of this before. Some pureblood heartless have different abilities, despite looking like regular heartless. Like that one that attacked you. They're rare, and most of the time you won't notice one even if you're fighting it. They'll go down just as easy as any normal heartless. Sora's probably met a few, and destroyed them too fast to know the difference. If one attacks you however, especially as bad as you got it, it doesn't cause any physical damage. Instead, it injects darkness into your body."

With each new piece of information, Daniel's heart beat louder and louder in his ears. He interrupted Leon before he could get any further. "So what happens now? Am I going to turn into a heartless?" There was panic in his voice, and he could feel fear gripping at his heart. His shoulder throbbed harder as his fear grew. Leon responded with a shrug. "I really don't know. I've only read about it in a report I found stashed away in the back of Cid's shop. It was untitled, and by the looks of it, only half the report was there. If we found the other half, I could get you an answer. One thing's for sure. Don't become reliant on the darkness of that arm. It'll only end up bad." Daniel nodded, gazing down once more at his hand. It had regained its normal complexion, matching the rest of his skin. _What's going to happen to me…?_ he wondered.

* * *

Leon had convinced Cid to give Daniel a few freebies from the shop, and Daniel was grateful. Cid shrugged it off, clearly annoyed. Leon also gave Daniel enough munny to get some potions from the item shop. Daniel made it a point not to stare at the three running said shop. Not only were they all ducks, but they were kids! He bought the supplies and headed out quickly.

* * *

He thanked Cid and Leon again. They both shrugged it off, but Leon was a bit more polite about it. "Maybe next time you visit, I can introduce you to the others." "Where are those to gals anyhow?" asked Cid. "Aerith is running errands in the second district, and Yuffie decided to go along. Heh. Yuffie'll be disappointed that she missed this." Daniel grinned, taking this as a compliment. He waved goodbye as he headed towards the town's gate.

* * *

Once he had taken off, he was greeted by Chip and Dale, who had a map of the worlds set out for him. "Hm…" Daniel thought a moment, then decided on the nearest one, the one opposite from the coliseum on the world loop. Grabbing the controls, he braced himself for another bumpy ride.

* * *

Postwrite: Whew! That was a long one. I got stuck when thinking of how to explain how Leon knew about the special heartless, but I came through. Most of you probably know which world Daniel's going to next. If not, it'll be a pleasant surprise. Well, I'm not so sure about pleasant, but it'll be a surprise nonetheless.


	9. Chapter 9:  A Wondrous Welcome

Prewrite: Let's get the ball rolling. I prepared myself for this one. I read the original "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" yesterday. This one is gonna fun. For me, anyways.

Disclaimer: I own Daniel and his story. I do NOT (notice the word not in capital letters) own Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Chapter 9: A Wondrous Welcome

Landing the ship on the world's surface was the easiest part of the journey. As for the journey itself, Daniel counted himself lucky that he'd finally figured out the controls. Of course, it had taken him almost the entire flight, and the ship needed a bit to cool down.

Jumping down from the ship, all he could see was a wide open field with a large open hole in the center. He cautiously approached the hole and peered down into it. It was pitch black inside, and there was no way of telling how deep.

"Oh dear! I'm late!" came a voice from inside the hole. The sudden noise shocked Daniel, knocking him off balance, and sending him tumbling down.

He panicked at first, but then realized that he seemed to be falling very slowly. As he looked around, the darkness gave way to a bit of light, and quite a peculiar sight. As Daniel fell, he saw clocks, bookshelves, and various other furniture seemingly built into the walls. As he passed a shelf, he pulled a jar off and gazed at it. The label read, "Marmalade." _Marmalade? Who eats that stuff anymore?_ He set the jar back down on another shelf he passed.

After another minute, he finally touched down at the bottom. Looking around, he saw only two ways out. There was a hallway leading away from the room, or…back the way he came. Gazing up, he realized he couldn't even see the exit anymore. _That just leaves the hall._ With a sigh, he headed down the hall and opened the door at the end.

Then opened the door behind that.

Then the one behind that.

He finally went through, already sick of this place.

He came into another room, with a fireplace and a small door, and a glass table in the middle. Looking on the table, he saw a bottle that said "DRINK ME" sitting next to a small key. He took the key and tried to open the door with it – only to have the doorknob protest!

"Can't you see I'm trying to sleep here? Have a little consideration…" The door yawned. Daniel was speechless for a moment, then said, "But you're a door! Opening up to let people through is your job!" "You're too big to fit through, anyway…unless you drink from the bottle…"

Daniel caught on right away. "You're just going to go to sleep while I'm getting the bottle, aren't you?" Giving him an annoyed look, the doorknob replied, "Of course not…I'll be right here…" he yawned, "…wide awake, to open up for you…" Daniel decided to give the doorknob the benefit of the doubt. He went to the table, key in hand, and drank from the bottle. He felt himself shrinking, while the key remained the same size. After he was small enough to fit through the door, he went back to it.

The doorknob was, of course, asleep.

Muttering angrily to himself, he beat at the doorknob with the key to try and wake it up, to no avail. He flung the key at the door out of frustration, and that had no effect either. It was then that Daniel noticed the mouse hole over by the bed painted on the wall. He headed to the mouse hole, figuring he could go through the wall to the other side of the door.

However, this was not to be.

He emerged into a crossroads, the walls made of hedges. "What the hell…?" he muttered aloud. The exits to the left and right were blocked off, while the exit straight ahead was unguarded. There was a sign above the exit before him that read, "Welcome to Wonderland!"

"Ugh." was Daniel's only visible reaction. This place was strange, and had a name that underrated that strangeness. If it weren't for the fact that – as far as he knew – Riku and Kairi might be here, he would have left right then.

Instead, he headed for the exit directly ahead of him. He had no idea that things were about to get much stranger.

* * *

Postwrite: Theeeere we go. A nice, decent-length chapter. Anyone catch the reference to the original novel I made? If so, send me a message. I might have a crappy prize for you! Maybe. More to come either tomorrow or Friday. Depends on whether I feel like writing tomorrow. If not, you'll get it Friday for sure. That's how I roll.

– DC


	10. Chapter 10: A Frabjous Day

Prewrite: Ok, I seriously owe you guys an explanation. Birth by Sleep came first, then Re:Coded, but those are just the major distractions with many minor milder distractions between. You all are lucky I don't have a 3DS (yet) or you probably wouldn't be hearing from me until Halloween at the earliest. I'm not going to make any promises about an update schedule, since I know I probably won't be able to keep them. However, I'm going to try my damndest for you. The fans, what few there are left, deserve better. Let's get this show on the road…

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. The Disney Corporation and Square-Enix do. Buy their stuff. Give them your munny. Do it nao.

* * *

Chapter 10: A Frabjous Day

Daniel stepped through the hedge archway, finding himself in what looked like an outdoor courtroom. Up in the judge's seat was a woman dressed in red and black heart-shaped patterns, with a small crown on her head, indicating some sort of monarchy. To put it politely, she wasn't the prettiest or thinnest woman around.

To put it the way it ran through Daniel's mind, she was fat and ugly.

There were what looked like living cards all around, standing as guards. Daniel did his best not to stare as he walked by. Before he got to the exit on the other side of the hedge wall, he heard a grating voice cry out, "Stop him! Guards!" He made a mad dash for the hole in the hedges, but was grabbed by several card soldiers before he got very far. Muttering curses under his breath, he allowed them to drag him to the stand.

The queen looked him up and down, then declared, "No doubt about it! This boy is the one who stole my royal scepter!" Daniel called bullshit. "Bullshit!" he called. He hated being unfairly accused of things he hadn't done. "I've never seen you or anyone here before in my life!" Obviously, this didn't go well.

The queen was livid, her face redder than her dress as she screamed in anger, "I will not stand for such language in my court! Off with his head!" Daniel ducked just in time to avoid a swing from a card soldier's spear, then crab walked backwards to dodge the vertical slashes. Drawing his sword, he dodged a few more attacks by rolling to the side. Once he was in the clear, he jumped to his feet and faced his attackers.

He fought defensively at first, blocking and dodging more than attacking, hoping he could maneuver himself to the exit. Unfortunately, things weren't as simple as that. Before long, he noticed that card soldiers weren't the only things attacking him, and he wasn't the only thing card soldiers were attacking. Several small floating creatures had appeared in the area, and were flinging about magic attacks. They were giving the card soldiers a hard time, many of them using themselves as shields to protect their queen.

Daniel slipped past the soldiers directly in front of him, now getting a better look at the creatures. Some were red and some were blue, but all had the same yellow hats and black faces with yellow eyes. If that wasn't enough of an indication, the emblem on their bodies confirmed it: heartless.

Daniel went on the offensive, attacking the heartless mercilessly. It didn't take much to wipe them out, but more soon appeared, including the fat ones Daniel recognized from the coliseum. Seeing that they had a common enemy, Daniel called out to the card soldiers, "Hit the big ones in the back! Their fronts are invulnerable!" The soldiers heeded his advice and, with a little help from him, all the heartless were wiped out.

Daniel took a breather, keeping his distance from the card soldiers. Despite his caution, they seemed to no longer bear him any ill will. He stepped up to the stand, facing the queen, who looked afraid, but still angry. "Your majesty, since I helped your men out, may I be pardoned of all charges? I'll even help you look for the real culprit." The queen considered his offer for a moment, then replied curtly, "Fine. But if you don't find it, it's off with your head!" She didn't need to say it twice. Daniel was off through the hole in the hedge before another word could be spoken.

He emerged into a forest…or at least, he thought it was a forest. Everything was huge! The mushrooms all around were as big as trees, and the trees, well…even bigger! "Well," he muttered aloud, "quite a pickle I've gotten myself into now..." He'd told the queen he'd help, but that had mostly just been to save his own skin. He had a feeling that actually going out to look for it would be a lot of wasted time with no real payoff. It also seemed unlikely at this point that Riku or Kairi were here.

However…he wasn't really sure of how he'd get back to his ship. "How am I supposed to get out of here…?" He heaved a sigh. Suddenly, he thought of the doorknob. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that the doorknob would know how to get out. Getting to the doorknob was easier said than done, however. He'd have to go back through the card soldiers, and he wasn't eager to do so. He'd have to find away around that room. And this forest seemed as good a place as any to start.

He started to walk through the forest. Before he got too far, one of the flowers spoke to him! "Give me a potion, and I'll show you the exit." The surprising thing was, Daniel wasn't surprised. All the things he'd seen since leaving the islands had desensitized him to stuff like this. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a potion, sprinkling it on the flower. The flower opened up, and a passageway suddenly appeared in the grass nearby. Daniel thanked the flower, heading through the hole.

The next thing he knew, Daniel was standing on a solid surface high in the air. Looking down, he found himself in the room that the doorknob was in…way up on a bookshelf! He groaned inwardly. He was in the right room, but how in the world was he supposed to get down? He looked around for something soft to land on, not seeing anything. His arm throbbed slowly, and he knew that using darkness could get him down easy. Leon's warning echoed in his head, and he weighed his options. "Well…it'll only be for a moment; I don't think it'll do much damage…" It was an excuse, of course, but he ignored that obvious fact.

This being the first time he was drawing on it willingly, he wasn't sure how to start. He closed his eyes at concentrated on darkness: its form, its power, exactly what he wanted to do with it. He felt a hot streak shoot up his arm, and felt it burn. He opened his eyes, and slowly stepped off the edge of the bookshelf. The ground rushed upwards to meet him, faster than he thought. At the last possible second, he threw his left arm out below him, and a burst of darkness exploded from it. He landed directly in the darkness, which cushioned his fall, saving him from life-threatening injury.

It still hurt like hell, though.

With a pained groan, he got to his feet, pushing the darkness within back down, bottling it up before it got out of control. His arm stung as he darkness receded, and he gazed down at it. As always, it looked red and worn. With a pained groan, he walked towards the doorknob…and felt his hopes fall.

The damned thing was asleep.

He let out a scream of rage, punching the floor hard. Of _course_ the door was asleep. Of _course_ he'd risked life and limb to reach the damn thing. And of _course_ all his efforts were wasted. Darkness engulfed him once again as he continued smashing his fist into the floor. Suddenly, the spot he was punching turned black, and a giant pool of darkness formed on the floor, sucking him in. He let loose a cry of shock and fear, trying to hold back the darkness, but it was too late. He was already caught in it, being sucked further and further in, until he was surrounded by the pure blackness.

* * *

Postwrite: There we go. One shiny new chapter, ready for your reading pleasure. Now, let me take a moment to share my plans with you. I definitely intend to finish this story, sooner or later. However, now that I've played all the games currently available in the US, I've decided that I want to expand my version of the KH universe as far as possible. How I will do this? I'm not 100% sure yet. I'm working on it. Very slowly. As stated in the prewrite, I'm not going to give you a definite update schedule, since I have no idea if I'm going to be able to keep it or not. But I'm going to try and update as often as possible. Thanks for your patience.


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